


Drinking Buddies

by queenssaviour



Series: Season 4 fix-its [4]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: (Hook is there just for one scene), 4a, 4x11, Alcohol warning, Alternate Ending, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-08
Updated: 2015-06-04
Packaged: 2018-03-06 14:31:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3137789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenssaviour/pseuds/queenssaviour
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After leaving the Author's house, Emma walks Henry and Regina back to the mansion. She stays there because she promised Regina a drinking buddy. Tequila shots and drunken ramblings ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year! I wrote this before Christmas, but I felt really self-conscious about posting it, so I'm only doing it now.  
> I don't own OUAT, unfortunately.  
> Thanks to my beta, Jess.

"Everyone deserves their happy ending," Emma finished. She saw Regina's surprised smile widen and couldn't hide a happy grin of her own. They stayed like that for a short while, simply smiling, and Emma swore to herself that she would do everything in her power to keep that smile on Regina's face.  
  
She was jerked out of her thoughts by the sound of Henry coughing. She turned to look at the Kid and raised an eyebrow at his awkward expression.  
  
"I'm just gonna…" the teen started and shook his head. "I'm gonna go look at some other books for clues."  
  
Emma looked at Henry go to one of the bookcases near the doorway and wondered why he had been in such a hurry to leave them alone. She turned to face Regina and was met with a puzzled expression similar to her own. Emma thought it best to change the subject back to the current situation.  
  
"So… You don't know who lives here? Is that a part of the thing where some new people appeared in Storybrooke during the curse with Zelena?" Emma asked and watched Regina's focus shift to her as she spoke.  
  
"Yes, I suppose that would be the reason. I don't know who lives here," Regina replied and furrowed her brow. That had to be the reason, right? Half the time Emma felt like nothing in this town made sense anymore. It was a town full of fairytale characters, though, so maybe she was expecting too much.  
  
"Well, that's okay. We'll figure it out and get you your happier story," Emma said smiling at the former Mayor. Regina's smile returned to her lips. That was also when Henry returned to them, smirking like he had a plan.  
  
"What's up, Kid?" Emma asked. Maybe Henry had found something.  
  
"Nothing." Henry smiled. Emma raised an eyebrow, because she could tell there was something Henry was thinking about but just wasn't saying.  
  
"Emma, do you wanna walk us home? Operation Mongoose." Henry's question seemed innocent enough, but Emma couldn't help the feeling that there was more to it and the Kid was planning something.  
  
"Okay… Should we just come back here tomorrow?" she asked and turned to face Regina who nodded.  
  
"Yes, I guess we… Well, maybe we should take a look at downstairs on our way out, but that should be it."  
  
"I already did before finding the library," Henry said. A thought sprung into Emma's mind.  
  
"Wait, how did you even get in here in the first place?" she hoped Henry hadn't inherited her past tendencies for occasional break-ins.  
  
"Oh, through the window," Henry shrugged. Emma tried to fight her natural reaction that would've made her seem impressed. She turned to look at Regina who was most likely trying to figure out if she should be shocked that their son would break into a house through a window. She was probably just happy that Henry had found the place, though. Emma shook her head and laughed.  
  
"Okay, let's go."  
  
*

  
Regina wanted to take one last look at the house using her magic, but they didn't find anyone or any clues of the Author, so they decided to return the following day. After walking to the mansion, Henry said there was something he needed to do, which left Emma standing on the porch with Regina while Henry made his way upstairs. Emma furrowed her brow. She was now certain the Kid was up to something else than the Operation, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.  
  
"Are you coming in to finish those shots?" she heard Regina say. Emma raised an eyebrow. Regina hardly looked like she needed anything to drink anymore, a slight smile still on her face, but Emma wouldn't have missed shots with the brunette for the world, so she smiled back.  
  
"Sure. Show me how it's done in the Enchanted Forest."  
  
This received an eye roll from Regina. The woman closed the front door behind them just when Henry came back down the stairs, claiming he wasn't hungry but just very tired. After making sure that he ate something, Regina let him go back upstairs to sleep. Then, Regina led the way to her study, Emma following right behind her.  
  
After what could've been anything between half an hour or two, Emma found herself drunk on the floor in Regina's study. They had ended up doing tequila shots, and Regina was sitting next to her.  
  
"You know, Regina, you can do way better than him," Emma said as she grabbed Regina's shoulder for balance. Or at least she thought it was for that. She just realized her hand was on Regina's shoulder, assuming she was trying to steady herself. Emma guessed it could've been her subconscious wanting to comfort the other woman, too. "Didn't he smell like forest anyway?"  
  
Regina swayed a bit, trying to focus her gaze on Emma. "How did you know that?"  
  
"I just do," Emma winked, not telling her that Snow had mentioned that as she had gone on and on about what a perfect couple Regina and Robin were. Emma hadn't been exactly interested in that, so the "smells like forest" part had been the highlight of the conversation.  
  
Regina narrowed her eyes, so Emma ended up telling her the truth in about five seconds. Regina laughed and took another swing of tequila straight from the bottle. Emma had never seen the woman like this. She looked at Regina mesmerized in her drunk haze; the brunette was so beautiful, her hair mussed and lipstick almost all brushed off. Regina put the bottle down and scrunched her face.  
  
"You're staring at me, Emma. Why are you sta- oh-" Regina tried to stand up, but gravity combined with her current drunken state brought her back on the floor next to Emma.  She laughed and seemed to decide that it was a good idea to go lie on the floor and use Emma's thighs as a pillow. Emma's breath caught in her throat when Regina tried to find a more comfortable position, her dark hair spread across Emma's lap.  
  
Emma was so drunk, and she really shouldn't have felt this strongly about closeness with the woman, but that didn't stop her from realizing that if Regina had turned her head and Emma had been wearing less clothes, the whole situation would've looked a lot more different. Emma stiffened when she realized how welcome the thought actually was.  
  
"Emma. You're still staring at me," Regina said, looking up.  
  
"Um, yea, sorry," she managed to respond as she grabbed the tequila bottle next to them and brought it to her lips. She shouldn't have felt like this. More than anything, it was totally inappropriate. She wasn't exactly single, and hadn't Regina just lost her… true love? No. Soulmate. What was the difference?  
  
"Regina," she said after gulping down some more tequila. "What did you see in that guy anyway?" She should've probably known better than to ask something like that, but Emma couldn't help herself because the alcohol had lowered her inhibition to the extent that questions about Robin were the least of her worries.  
  
Regina looked at her for a while before answering. "He… made me feel safe, he made me feel wanted and forget about other things. It was simple. It was nice," Regina slurred the last words.  
  
"It was nice?" Emma snorted. "Regina, a bubble bath is nice. You deserve so much more than simple and nice. All that stuff about your destiny being mapped out for you. Isn't soulmate just like that? You wanted to make your own destiny, right?" The guy had strong adultery tendencies, and Emma couldn't fully understand why Regina didn't think she could do so much better. "You deserve someone who understands you and someone to whom you always come first."  
  
"How about you, then?" Regina inquired. The woman sounded surprisingly sober considering the stage of inebriation they were both in.  
  
Emma felt her cheeks flush. "How about me what?"  
  
"I meant how about you and the pirate, then? Does he understand you? Would you come first to him even if you weren't in a relationship with him? Is it more than just settling for someone who is easy?" Regina crossed her arms while her head still rested in Emma's lap. "It certainly isn't settling for someone with personal hygiene," Regina muttered partly to herself and partly to Emma.  
  
Emma narrowed her eyes at that. Regina still wasn't  meeting her gaze.  
  
"You sound awfully jealous," Emma pointed out. Now that she came to think of it, this wasn't the only time Regina's actions could be interpreted as such. Emma suddenly remembered the woman's remarks about Hook's eyeliner and the snarky comments about him being Emma's boyfriend in _fucking Neverland_. Regina stiffened and got up to sit.  
  
"No, I don't," Regina said in a stern voice and let out a small laugh, but her eyes betrayed her. There was something else there, and it seemed like she had almost got caught. Regina looked around and grabbed the tequila bottle, taking another swing.  
  
"Okay," Emma responded. She knew Regina wasn't being honest, but what was she supposed to say? This was getting weird very fast, and she was so very drunk. Emma closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she found Regina looking at her.  
  
"I think I should go back home to sleep," Emma finally said.  
  
"I fully support your will to do just that, but you're not going anywhere in that condition," Regina mumbled, swinging her arm in Emma's direction. "You're going to the bedroom. Guest. Guest bedroom"  
  
"I can just poof myself back to Snow's," Emma decided to try, but apparently Regina wasn't satisfied with her answer.  
  
"And lose a limb in the process? No, you're not using magic in that state and neither am I. Come on, Emma," the brunette said and attempted to get up, searching purchase from the coffee table next to them.  
  
Emma finally got up from the position she had practically been glued in. She followed Regina up the stairs, trying not to fall and wake up Henry.  
  
Regina stopped at the top of the stairs and looked at Emma.  
  
"Wait. You need nightwear," she announced, making her way towards one of the rooms. Emma followed, not knowing why she should've waited in the dark hallway. She opened the door after Regina and was obviously brought to the woman's bedroom. Regina jumped when she heard Emma had followed her, but then she just continued her way into the walk-in closet.  
  
Standing there waiting felt incredibly unnecessary to Emma, so she made her way towards Regina's bed, just to sit down. She really did know better than that even in her current state, but she just wanted to rest her legs. Maybe a part of her wanted to see Regina's reaction as well. She collapsed on the bed, which felt absolutely heavenly after sitting on the floor for so long.  
  
Time passed, and when Emma couldn't hear Regina come back, she decided to rest her eyes for a little while. They had all had such a long day. When she finally heard steps return from the closet, she didn't want to open her eyes anymore.  
  
"Emma," she heard Regina whisper.  
  
"M-hhmm," Emma managed to answer as she snuggled one of the pillows on the bed.  
  
"I'm not sleeping in a guest room," Regina responded and sat on the bed next to Emma, trying to scoot her over and placing a hand on her thigh. "This is _my_ bed."  
  
"Well, sleep here with me, then," Emma mumbled into the pillow she was clutching now, refusing to open her eyes. Then she realized what she had said. "Well, you know what I mean. Just sleeping… I'm not moving," she let out with a final sigh. _Not that I'd mind the other kind of sleeping with you._  
  
"What?" the shock and incredulity in Regina's weary voice made Emma realize that she had probably said the last part out loud. In any other state, she would've panicked because of her revelation, but right now she was barely conscious and just wanted to sleep her drunken state off. She kept hugging the pillow.  
  
"I'm not moving. Just sleep, Regina," Emma muttered just before slipping into unconsciousness, Regina's hand still on her thigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of want to continue now, but I've been feeling really bad about my writing (and my English) lately, so I don't know... Let me know if you think I should continue by leaving a comment (or kudos, I guess). (I chose the one chapter option there, because I don't think it's very likely that I continue but... we'll see.)
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked it! :) If you saw something wrong, let me know (non-native English speaker here)! :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so... hello. I'm not sure if anyone's interested in this story anymore because it's taken me so long to update. (I'm sorry! I know I promised I would in the comments.) Long story short: I saw someone else write something similar to what I had planned (ugh), so I kinda had to write this differently and it took time (no point writing the same story twice, and I don't want to seem like a copycat.) 
> 
> Giving this a shot again anyway if anyone's interested!

Emma woke up with a throbbing headache. The memories from the previous night were blurry, and she was reluctant to open her eyes. She tried to bring her hand to her forehead, but after a short moment of confusion, she realized that she had her arm around a person cuddled against her side.  
  
She finally opened her eyes and was met with the sight of a sleeping Regina. The brunette looked so peaceful like this. So beautiful… _Wait, no._ She was in bed with Regina. This was no time to take advantage of a situation the brunette didn't probably want to be in. Emma needed to go. And more importantly, she needed to drink a lot of water and use the bathroom. Not necessarily in that order.  
  
She got up, trying not to awaken Regina. The woman made a small disapproving grunt when Emma left the bed, but didn't seem to wake up. Emma made her way towards the bathroom hoping she would figure out what to do next.  
  
*  
She walked out of the bathroom as she dried her hair on one of Regina's towels she had found in the closet. Normally, she wouldn't have touched anything in the mansion without permission, but she figured today was different. She was now feeling slightly better than she had when she had first woken up.  
  
Emma saw Regina eye her from the bed, obviously roused from her sleep, but not making any attempt to actually get up. Suddenly, Emma felt really uncomfortable, wrapped in just a towel and coming out from Regina's bathroom. What had she been thinking? She should've just gone home.  
  
"I see you did what you're so skilled at and made yourself at home," Regina muttered, and Emma winced at the malevolence in the woman's voice until she realized that Regina had started sniggering.  
  
"Regina! I thought you were really mad at me. That's not funny. My head hurts, and then you say basically the same thing you did before giving me that damn apple turnover."  
  
"How mad at you could I be? I just let you sleep in my bed," Regina pointed out and exhaled loudly. "I seem to have quite a headache."  
  
"You don't say," Emma muttered. "I should've probably mentioned that a headache would be likely if you decided to become drinking buddies with me."  
  
Regina slowly rolled on her back. "Yes, you should have." The woman closed her eyes for a moment and spoke again, "I still needed last night, though. I think it was good for me to let it go for a while, so thank you."  
  
"Sure, anytime. If you need a drinking buddy, or anything, you know where to find me."  
  
They stayed there in an awkward silence for a moment, and Emma really felt like she should be wearing some clothes right about now.  
  
"So, I should probably poof myself back to Snow's…" she started and waved her hand in front of her towel-clad torso. "I guess being hungover doesn't keep me from doing that, right?"  
  
"Oh," Regina said as her gaze fell to Emma's body, and Emma was so very confused now. Why did Regina keep doing that and look at her in such a calculating way, always out of the blue? It must've been going on… ever since she first came to Storybrooke. If she hadn't known any better, she would've thought – "or you could just summon some of your clothes here," Regina continued as she met her eyes again. "It could be a magic lesson, no harm done."  
  
Emma's eyebrows knitted together. Regina Mills was hungover and didn't want her out of her house even then. What a time to be alive.  
  
"Yeah, sure, I could do that," she said and got ready for more instructions.  
  
*  
  
Emma managed to summon herself a new set of clothes from Snow's with some assistance from Regina, and she tried her best to make breakfast for all three of them while Regina, who didn't seem to feel as good as she did, was taking a shower. After making sure Henry got to school in time, Emma found herself sitting on the living room couch next to Regina. They were clutching coffee mugs, unsure if they should face the outside world just yet.  
  
"Do you think the Kid's acting weird?" she asked and changed her posture so she could see Regina's expression.  
  
"Why?" Regina furrowed her brow and took a sip of her coffee.  
  
"I don't know. I just felt like he wasn't telling us something last night, and I got the same vibe this morning, too," she responded, uncertain whether Regina would agree with her or not.  
  
Regina stayed quiet for a moment. "I suppose you might be onto something."  
  
"Do you think it's about the Operation or something else?" she wondered out loud, hoping Regina might have an answer.  
  
"I don't know. We'll find out soon enough, probably," the woman said as she shook her head slightly.  
  
"So, this is nice," Emma said, changing the topic and turning her gaze to the mug in her hands. She could hear Regina huff next to her, practically feeling an eye roll directed at her without even looking at the woman.  
  
"Being hungover? I do believe we've had more fun."  
  
"No, not the hungover part. The buddies part," Emma started because despite her somewhat confusing feelings, she really did want to be Regina's friend. She raised her head again. "Spending time together, drinking coffee instead of tequila. Although the tequila part was nice, too. It's nice to be your friend, and I want you to find your happy ending."  
  
Regina took her time answering again, her gaze fixated on her coffee. "I suppose it's nice. I don't have many friends. Thank you."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For helping me… And the friend part."  
  
Emma felt the corners of her mouth tug into a smile, and she saw Regina mimic her expression when the woman raised her gaze from her coffee cup.  
  
*  
  
As nice as it would've been to spend all day on the couch, Emma and Regina decided to get some fresh air to clear their thoughts. Emma knew she sure needed it since sitting cosily on the couch next to Regina did nothing to help her with her already confusing feelings. She was grateful she didn't have to go on patrol that day, and since Regina didn't seem to mind her company, she decided to stay over, ignoring the voice in her head telling her it was a bad idea. She reasoned with herself that helping the woman to look for her happy ending included spending time together.  
  
They were sitting on the porch in the backyard when Emma heard steps approach them. Steps she was sure she recognized. Before having any time to react, she heard "Swan!" and saw Hook walking towards them.  
  
"Swan, your father told me I could probably find you here," Hook said as he came closer. Emma stood up and caught a glimpse of Regina rolling her eyes before she turned her attention to Hook. "You left so suddenly last night. I can't believe you didn't …." Hook exclaimed, bringing his arm on to her shoulder and smothering her with a kiss she felt no desire for in her hungover state.  
  
"Um," Emma muttered and Hook reluctantly broke the kiss. "Killian, I'm not feeling too great as you can see, so I'll call you later tonight, okay?"  
  
"Ah, I see you've ……" Hook's gaze moved to Regina. "With the Queen. Ah."  
  
Emma turned to look at Regina as well, and that's when one of her thoughts from the previous night hit her again. Regina's jealousy. Regina tried to mask her expression as neutral, but Emma saw a hint of something else there before the woman caught herself. Was it jealousy? Was she just over-thinking? Hoping too much? Emma sighed under her breath. Maybe she was going crazy. She was surely over-analyzing–  
  
"Well," Regina spoke and turned to Hook, interrupting Emma's train of thought. "Maybe she wanted to taste something else than rum for once? As you know, I don't personally understand the appeal when there are other noteworthy options to take into account."  
  
Regina turned back to her coffee (was that a third cup already?) and took a sip, probably missing Emma's mouth hanging slightly agape. The implication was clear to Emma, and she turned to look at Hook who was scrunching his face in confusion. Emma thought it better to send him away before he and Regina started an actual fight.  
  
"Look, I'll call you tonight, okay?" Emma tried again. Hook's attention turned back to her.  
  
"Swan, I was hoping---"  
  
Emma didn't have time to respond before she heard Regina groan loudly. She didn't have the time to respond to that either, because that was when her phone rang. Henry was calling, and she picked up her phone and moved away from the two to talk, hoping that Hook would dissipate while she was gone.  
  
"Hey, Mom. Where are you?"  
  
"I'm still at your mom's with your mom and Hook," she answered. The line went quiet. "Henry?"  
  
"With Hook?" Henry sounded uncertain.  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"I just… Any chance he's mentioned me after the curse?"  
  
"No, but I've only seen him twice after that." Emma was confused. "Why?"  
  
"Nothing, I was just wondering."  
  
"Ok, Kid, spill it out," Emma said. She knew Henry was lying and she didn't have to see him to know that.  
  
"It's just that when the curse hit the town, I said some things to him," Henry said very quietly.  
  
"What things?"  
  
"Let's talk when I get home, okay?"  
  
Emma sighed. She guessed there wouldn't be a point to interrogate Henry on the phone, especially when she had Regina and Hook to look after.  
  
"Okay. See you later, Henry."  
  
Emma found Hook waiting for her. Regina was sulking on the porch. It seemed to her that they had been talking about something but stopped before she came back.  
  
"Henry asked me if you had said anything about him after the curse broke. Why's that?" She didn't want to sweep something that obviously bothered Henry under the carpet.  
  
"Well," he started and swung his hooked hand, "The boy put marble balls on the floor and tackled me. He also said that we are together," he finished and winked.  
  
"Wait, what?" Emma could believe the marble part since everyone had been their worst self, but Hook's last remark didn't make sense. Emma saw Regina listening intently as well.  
  
"Well, he said that he didn't like me or us being together, but frankly that was just the curse talking, I'm sure," Hook grinned. "Is that really the word you used? Together?"  
  
Emma was at a loss of words, but Regina was not.  
  
"You half-witted handless idiot!" she could hear brunette say. "Emma's son has a problem with you, and that's all you care about? That Emma considers you two an item?" Regina was, despite being hungover, reaching a scary Evil Queen mode. She turned to Emma. "Are you okay with this? Henry being uncomfortable with this man you've chosen to court with?"  
  
"I haven't chosen anyone!" left Emma's lips before she realized what she was saying. _What was she saying?_ "And no, of course I'm not okay with that. We have to talk to Henry."  
  
"Yes, we must," Hook said and brought his hand to Emma's waist, but she removed it fast and turned to face him.  
  
"Not us-we. I meant Regina and I. And I think you should go," Emma said. It was too early for this and her head was hurting again.  
  
After that, Hook left shaking his head. Regina rolled her eyes and sipped her coffee again.  
  
"I'm glad that you think we need to talk to Henry about this," Regina finally said.  
  
"Of course. This is important." Emma sat down on the porch and closed her eyes. Her headache was getting worse.  
  
"And how exactly have you not chosen him?" Regina's curious tone made Emma open her eyes in confusion.  
  
"Because I haven't chosen anyone? Why does it even have to be about choosing? Who was I choosing between? Why should that word even be used?" She found herself unable to stop babbling. "I mean, I just sort of decided to take my chance with him and give it a shot." Emma stopped and realized how defensive she must have sounded. Regina was looking at her and seemed to be calculating something.  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Alright what?"  
  
"Just alright. We'll talk to Henry today."  
  
*  
  
"I won't see him anymore, then," Emma said. Henry seemed confused, and Regina was shocked, her mouth agape and eyebrows scrunched.  
  
All three of them were sitting at the kitchen table, and Emma had just heard Henry's reasons for why he felt uncomfortable with Hook and him being close to Emma. Emma had decided before Henry came back from school that if their son's reasons were valid, she would end things with the man. It wasn't like she hadn't thought about it before, and after this morning she honestly saw no point for it, both because of the pirate's behavior and her own feelings.  
  
"Why?" Henry finally asked. He sounded so different from when he had first found her, his voice getting lower. The Kid was growing up so fast.  
  
"Because your feelings matter the most here, and you're the most important man in my life anyway," she responded. "Besides, my heart isn't in it, exactly." She turned to look at Regina who didn't meet her gaze.  
  
"In my life, too," Regina said to Henry. "I hope all this talk about happy endings hasn't made you think you're not important, because you are the most important person to me, Henry. Always," the brunette finished.  
  
Henry smiled and stood up to wrap his arms around his mother still sitting on the chair. Emma watched the beautiful scene unfold in front of her and really hoped all this would last.  
  
"I love you, Mom," Henry muttered in the hug.  
  
"I love you, too, Henry," Regina responded as the boy started breaking the hug.  
  
"And I love you too, Mom," he now said to her.  
  
"Love you too, Kid," Emma smiled back. She could've gotten used to this. Just them and no next villain to defeat in sight.  
  
"I'm gonna do my homework," Henry said as he made his way to the doorway. "You two… talk."  
  
He smirked and left both of them confused. Emma looked at Regina whose eyebrows were burrowed.  
  
"What did he mean by that?" Regina asked.  
  
"Don't ask me," Emma said as she got up. "I need to go check up on my parents. Snow has been trying to call me."  
  
The brunette nodded. "See you at dinner?"  
  
Emma fought a surprised reaction. She felt exhilarated because of the invitation, and she smiled at Regina.  
  
"Sure, I'll be there," she said and flashed a small smile before leaving.  
  
  
*  
  
Emma got out of her bug and made her way back towards the mansion. She had been checking up on her parents after having one more phone call with Hook and breaking things up with him. The call hadn't been easy, but she felt relieved all the same. Now she had come back to have dinner with Henry and Regina. She knocked on the door, and in a few seconds, Regina was smiling at her. The woman didn't seem to be hungover anymore, and neither was Emma. She smiled back at the brunette and walked into the mansion.  
  
"So, what are we having?" Emma asked as she took her jacket off and hung it up.  
  
"Lasagna," Regina responded. "Everything's ready, really. How were your parents?"  
  
Emma smiled. Regina genuinely caring about how Snow and David were really meant they had all come so far and could happily coexist in this town.  
  
"They're fine. The baby takes a lot of time, but they seem happy," she shrugged and smiled.  
  
"How do you feel about them having another baby?"  
  
Emma had not been expecting that. She might've expected Regina to ask something like that last night when they were both drunk, but this was kind of a tough subject for her. She didn't want to get into the whole feeling replaced and alone story.  
  
"Um," she started, unable to form a coherent sentence.  
  
"You don't have to answer that if you don't want to, of course," Regina hurried and waved her hand. "I just thought since we're… friends now you might want to talk about it. I'm sorry, I'm not… I'm not really good at this…" Regina played with the apron she was holding and avoided looking Emma in the eye.  
  
"Hey, it's okay," she started. She somehow found out she was removing the apron from Regina's hands and taking them in hers. "Thank you for caring, really. I'll let you know when I'm ready to talk about it," she managed to answer. She was stroking Regina's hand with her thumb and looking in the dark eyes in front of her. Neither of them made a sound, and Regina's gaze fell on her lips. _Lips?_ Emma's breath hitched, but before anything else happened, Regina seemed to be distracted by something behind Emma.  
  
"Henry!" Regina exclaimed and pulled her hands away from Emma's. "How long have you been there?"  
  
Emma turned around now as well and saw their son sitting on the stairs.  
  
"Not very long, just got there." He shrugged and got up. "So, is the lasagna ready?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't really want to get into the reasons Henry didn't like Hook and Emma together, so I kind of cut the scenes the way I didn't have to. Oops. Everyone may keep their own headcanon. (Also, I didn't like writing Hook, so I just wanted to get it over with.)
> 
> I have a question (SPOILER ALERT for the next chapter).
> 
> I was thinking about using a book Henry has found in the next chapter, and I'm wondering whether I should make it the way that pictures and text appear on it (I've seen this kind of thing done before, so I'm kind of meh about it tbh) or the way they sort of go into the story of the book (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets style, really). Any thoughts? Please?
> 
> Thank you for reading! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even have an excuse for this being so late. I figured out what I want to do with this story, though! I hope someone's still reading. Thank you, LastKnight3219 for giving me some ideas for this chapter!
> 
> This hasn't been beta-read (I think I'm looking for a new beta reader tbh), and I'm still a non-native English-speaker, so please let me know if something's wrong! 
> 
> I don't own OUAT (or Harry Potter... There's a Harry Potter reference or two.)

The dinner was almost like any typical dinner between the three of them. When Emma sat down, she realized she had had dinner in the mansion more than once now that she and Regina were friends. _Friends who didn't really have many other friends and who also happened to co-parent a child who wanted to spend more time with both of his moms,_ she thought. She realized how far they had come once again and how happy spending time with both Henry and Regina made her.

"So, Mom, what does your happy ending look like, anyway?" Henry suddenly asked, pulling Emma out of her thoughts and alerting her that there was more to the question than what had just been queried. She followed Henry's line of sight and turned to look at Regina who had stopped eating and had a pensive look on her face.

"Well…" Regina started, not looking directly at either of them.

"I just thought that because this is such a big deal, you must have something in your mind. You'd want a life partner, right? Someone to hang out with after I go to college," Henry continued.

"Wow, slow down, kid," Emma said. She honestly didn't think mentioning Henry eventually growing up and leaving was a good idea when Regina was feeling heartbroken already. "That's not gonna happen in a couple of years."

"True. I'm not going to leave just yet." Henry smiled at her and then turned to Regina again. "So, Mom. What's this dream person like?"

"I suppose…" Regina started as she put her utensils down. Emma guessed the woman was wondering what sort of version of her desired happy ending would be suitable for Henry. "I want someone who sees me as Regina and not just the Evil Queen. Someone who makes me feel like life can be good again, someone to share it with…" she paused again but got no response, so she sighed and continued. "I know you do see me as someone else than the Queen now, Henry, and nothing makes me happier than that. But I suppose it would be nice to share this life with someone else, too. Another adult, a partner, an equal. Someone who loves you as much as I do and someone I could share that with."

Emma nodded because that kind of person would most certainly be right for Regina. Oh, and someone who wouldn't be married already and who would actually be Regina's choice. None of that soulmate crap, she added to herself.

"That sounds great!" Henry nodded enthusiastically, and Regina shrugged as she took a bite of her lasagna. "What about you, Mom?"

It took Emma a while to realize that Henry wasn't talking to Regina anymore. What had he asked?

"What about me?"

"Have you thought of a happy ending?" he asked.

She wondered how to answer the question. This whole town of fairytale people, and Henry, of course, was so very bent on finding happy endings. Then she remembered that she had promised Regina one, so she really wasn't the right person to judge and start to criticize the concept now.

"I don't know, kid. I'm pretty happy like this. Never been this happy before. I have you, my parents, my brother, your Mom… Storybrooke's been threat-free for… days. Things are pretty good for me. All I want that you guys are happy too."

"So you're not upset about breaking up with Hook?" Henry asked her, his voice a bit higher.

She was actually surprised how little she felt at all. She would've expected to feel loss or heartbreak, but none of it was there. She felt free. In the end, her heart had been completely elsewhere than in her relationship, and it wouldn't have lasted, especially because she had Henry to think about. She wouldn't have wanted to be dating a person her son didn't like; she had had her fair share of that in the foster system and she didn't want her own child to experience anything similar.

"No, I'm not," she answered, deciding to leave out the details she could've included.

"Okay, that's good."

Emma didn't try to analyze Henry's response further, although she still felt like there was something her son wasn't telling her. They kept eating in silence for a little while until Henry spoke again.

"So, there's something I have to tell you."

Emma's head shot up from her dinner to Henry. She knew the kid had been up to something else, and she really wanted to find out what it was. She turned to look at Regina who was reflecting her interested and alert expression.

"What's that, Henry?" Regina asked and took a sip of the red wine in front of her.

"So, I found a book last night…" Henry started.

"Last night when we were in the Author's house?"

"Yeah, I found a book there, and I took it with me… You were too distracted talking… or something to notice."

Emma saw that Regina was about to protest but then closed her already opened mouth.

"So, what happened with the book?" Emma asked.

"Well, I took it here with me, and… Moms, do you remember the second Harry Potter book?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course I do," Emma answered. She was surprised by the turn of Henry's story, and she was somewhat afraid of what would come next. All the fairytales from her childhood were real, and they had just bid goodbye to the replica of the latest Disney animation. She didn't know if she could take it if Harry Potter was real, too.

"Okay, good. I know Mom knows it because she read it to me," Henry said as he pointed at Regina.

Emma turned to Regina. "You read Henry Harry Potter?"

"Of course I did. It's a great story. And their magic amuses me. They got it all wrong," Regina smirked at her.

"So Harry Potter's not real?" Emma asked. She had to make sure.

"It isn't," Regina laughed. "I don't think that's relevant here. Henry was just about to say something. Go ahead, dear."

"Yeah, so I got the book and had an idea from Harry Potter that maybe if I wrote to it, it would answer."

"Kid!" she found herself saying before Henry had time to get any further. "Didn't you learn that that's exactly what you're not supposed to do?"

"Well, yeah, but Mom just said they got magic all wrong, so why not this thing too?" he tried to reason with her while Regina stayed quiet. "Can I explain this?"

"Okay, sorry, kid."

"So, I wrote on the first page of the book, and it answered to me. I asked it to show me my Mom's, Regina's, happy ending."

"What?" Emma heard both herself and Regina say, Regina's voice upset and hers incredulous.

"Yeah, and don't freak out, okay?" Henry raised his hands in surrender, his eyes searching for an ally from one of his mothers. Emma finally decided she wanted to hear the kid out, her curiosity overcoming the fear of what the book might've shown.

"Okay, kid, spill it. What did the book say?" she asked and felt Regina's gaze shift between the two of them.

"Come with me," Henry said, hopping off the chair and making his way out of the room.

Emma's gaze met Regina's. She couldn't quite place the emotion the woman seemed to be feeling at that moment, but her eyes were wide and her posture rigid.

"You okay?"

"I'm…" Regina started. "I'm not sure if it's wise to hear what that book has to say."

"You wanna make your own destiny, and not what the book thinks is right for you?"

"Yes, that…" Regina said quietly, her gaze shifting from her to the wine glass in front of her.

"You still wanna go see what the kid discovered?" she asked. "You don't have to." Because Regina didn't really have to, and Emma wouldn't want to force something like this on her.

"Yes, let's go."

*

They were in Henry's dimly lit room, and the kid was sitting on his bed, holding a closed book in his lap. The book was rather big and Emma wondered how he had managed to bring it into the house without her and Regina noticing in the first place.

Regina shifted next to her, and Emma fought the urge to put a hand on the woman's shoulder. Henry seemed to notice the anxiousness of his mother and finally spoke.

"Okay, so as you know, I took the book out of the house. I also took one of the quills I found there, and then thought of what happened to Harry when he wrote on the book. I knew it wasn't likely to happen, but I believed I could at least try, so I wrote _show me Regina Mills' story and her happy ending_. And the thing is, all this text and pictures appeared on the book."

Emma realized she was holding her breath, unsure if she wanted to know what would come next. Regina was quiet, still standing next to her, waiting for their son to finish the story.

"And the thing is, it showed me your story!" Henry beamed. "Not the way the book grandma gave me, with you being all evil and stuff, but it told your story right from the start. You as a little girl, you riding your horse, the stable boy…" Regina gulped next to her, and Emma shook her head at Henry. He seemed to understand he should just get to his point, so he quickly skipped a few decades of Regina's story. "And then the book showed us together, all happy, just having dinner together and reading and stuff. It said something like…"

Henry opened the book and flipped through the pages. Emma turned to look at Regina, who was standing still like a statue, her expression similar to the one she had worn downstairs.

"Here it is! _Regina had forgotten that she had found her happy ending when she became a mother to the boy she loved very much, but she eventually saw what had been in front of her all along. What was even better was that the Savior she had feared for so long loved the son they shared just as much, and the two, against all odds, fell for each other, too, without the other one knowing. Happy endings weren't always what people thought they would be, but that was what made them even more special_."

Henry slammed the book shut, and Emma was unable to close her mouth that had opened from the shock. No sound came out of her, though, and judging by the silence in the room, the same had happened to Regina.

"So," Henry added. "I can't give you guys too many spoilers, I guess, but I'd say that might give you both something to think about. I thought that maybe the book was just messing with me first, but then I kinda looked at both of you in a new way today and saw it too."

Emma was speechless, unable to look at Regina, her gaze fixated on the book in Henry's lap. She fought the urge to run or magic herself out of the situation, but somehow managed to stay still.

"Emma, I'm going to tuck Henry into bed," she finally heard Regina's overly polite voice say. "You're free to wait in my study if you like."

"I…" she started, feeling too many emotions at once. "Yeah, sure," she finished, meeting Henry's encouraging eyes for one last time before fleeing the scene, unable to look at Regina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know if you liked it? 
> 
> I'm making this four chapters instead of three after all, so there's one chapter left.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna publish this later, but I decided I wanna finish this before going on a weekend trip on my birthday, because I really don't wanna start a new year of my life with this story still unfinished, haha.

Emma still didn't know what to say or how to feel. The book had made her hope. Hope for something that she hadn't seriously dared hope before. She was currently staring at nothing in particular in Regina's kitchen as her mind was racing a thousand miles per minute. She finally moved from her frozen state, though, and started cleaning up the kitchen, deciding it was better for her to do something than just to sit alone with her thoughts, waiting for Regina to arrive in her study. Even though Regina had said she would come down after putting Henry to bed, Emma now suspected she had wanted to talk to Henry in private about what had happened. The kid hardly needed to be tucked into bed anymore.

Emma wasn't sure what Regina talking to Henry first meant. Was Regina upset the book had said something like that? Did she want to make sure that Henry had no false hope for his parents getting together before breaking the news to Emma, too? Or… maybe... What if Regina wanted to make sure that Henry was okay with everything before starting to pursue something with Emma?

No, that couldn't have been it. There was no reason to take that book's version of Regina's story as the absolute truth. None.

Would Regina think the whole thing was ridiculous? Probably. That had to be it. She just wanted to tell Henry first.

Emma sighed. She had finished loading the dishwasher and cleaning the kitchen, but there was still no sign of Regina. Maybe this was her cue to leave.

Just as she started to contemplate whether she should stay waiting a little while longer or not, she heard familiar steps descending the stairs in distance. Emma gulped. She didn't have any idea what to say to Regina.

Regina emerged in the doorway, not looking at Emma in the eye first, and then finally raising her gaze as she spoke.

"Henry's asleep."

"Oh, good, the kid's had a long day," she answered. Her mouth was dry, and she really hoped Regina would say something because she honestly had no idea what–

"Apple cider?" Regina asked.

"You got anything stronger?" Emma responded, unable to help herself. Regina let out a small laugh and her lips curved into a smile. Emma relaxed a little bit. Regina wasn't upset with her, at least, nor was she pushing her away either.

"I think you know I do. Come," Regina beckoned at her, and she followed the brunette into her study once again.

"So, Henry told me I should have a talk with you," Regina mentioned as she poured the remains of the wine bottle from that night into two glasses, telling her they ought to finish the wine first. Emma took the glass Regina handed her. She didn't need to think more thoroughly what Henry had said: It had most likely been him talking about true love and everything making so much sense now.

She took a big gulp of the wine she was holding. Regina looked so relaxed. Or maybe she didn't; the woman was uncharacteristically playing with the glass in her hands, but compared to how Emma was feeling, Regina looked extremely calm.

"So, any thoughts on the book, Emma?" Regina asked, her voice so awfully neutral that Emma couldn't get a clue what she would say next. For a person who had been making her living reading people, she really sucked at it tonight. Her own emotions were getting in the way, and she didn't dare hope for something that wouldn't happen.

"Unexpected," she responded and took another gulp. The glass was almost empty again. She should've really gotten her act together; she must look like a nervous mess, but the alcohol was starting to have an effect on her and she didn't care about her appearance that much anymore. She just wanted to run and avoid rejection. That was what she was good at, anyway.

"Henry doesn't think so," Regina said and sipped her wine.

"Well, he's always had a really vivid imagination," Emma replied, trying to hide the fact that the book had shown her exactly what she really wanted. She felt like her feelings were out in the open without her consent, and she didn't like it.

"He pointed out that you possess all the qualities I said I was looking for in a partner," Regina continued so nonchalantly that it really started to irk Emma. "And that we share a child already. Not to mention," Regina paused as if to remember how Henry had expressed his thoughts, "us smiling at each other like his grandparents do."

Suddenly her overwhelming feelings and those few glasses of wine got to Emma, and she hid her face behind her hands as she groaned and fought tears. She couldn't look at Regina.

"You know what, Regina, just say how ridiculous all of this is and get it over with, because I can't take this anymore. After that, I can go home and we can forget this ever happened and maybe laugh about it twenty years later." She let her hands drop, but she still kept her eyes closed. She could feel a tear on her cheek, but she couldn't bring herself to care anymore. She was tired and slightly drunk and felt humiliated.

"So," she could hear Regina say as she still kept her eyes closed, not ready to face the woman next to her just yet. "Henry told me that what I feel for you is more than obvious, but I don't think you'd agree, judging by the reaction you're having just now. I'm starting to think that you do, in fact, reciprocate my feelings, though, which I didn't believe when Henry first told me about his assumption."

The words finally hit her and she opened her eyes… If what Regina was implying was true, then…

"Welcome back," Regina said and beamed at her just like she had in the woods over a year ago when they had come back to Storybrooke through the portal. Regina raised her hand to Emma's face and brushed away a streak of tears, her brown eyes never leaving Emma's.

But this was too good to be true, really. This just couldn't happen to Emma. The events of that night must've confused Regina and that was why she was acting this way.

"Regina," she said as she could feel the upcoming words break her heart already. "I know that you want a happy ending, but it's okay it's not with me. You saw it in a book. You want to believe in it. But I don't wanna be another lion tattoo and the reason for this to be just because some book said so. You deserve to make your own choices."

Regina looked at her, her hand still on her cheek. "Then why can't I make this choice?" Regina paused and continued after taking a deep breath. "I don't want this just because some book told me. I've wanted this longer than that."

"Why on Earth would you even want me?"

The words left her mouth before she could stop herself. Regina's hand pulled away as her face scrunched in confusion.

"Are you really asking that?" Regina looked genuinely confused, which made Emma want to laugh. Of course she did. She had felt unwanted her entire life, an orphan no one wanted nor needed when something better came along.

"I am at fault of most of the misery in your life, and you think I'm too good for you?" Regina stopped and waited for a response, but since Emma failed to give one, the woman just shook her head. "I can't believe this… Emma, you are worthy and you are more than I could ever ask for. You gave me the greatest thing I've ever had in my life, our son, and I'd gladly spend the rest of my life making up for the things I am guilty of inflicting."

Emma was left speechless. Maybe… just maybe…

"You really mean that?" she finally managed to say. She also wanted to point out that Regina alone was hardly the reason for the things that had happened to her and it was more complicated than that, but no sound came out of her.

"I do," Regina said as she took her hand in hers. Emma still had her doubts, but Regina had been convincing, and the woman's words brought a smile on her lips.

She let go of Regina's hand and brought her arms around the woman to hug her. She felt like this had been long overdue: they had been friends for ages and had never shared a hug. She wrapped her arms around Regina tighter when Regina welcomed the hug and brought her arms around Emma, too.

Emma felt so safe and so right, and she really didn't want to let go, smelling Regina's perfume and feeling her body against hers. Since Regina didn't seem to mind her clinging onto her for a little bit longer, she pulled her closer and heard Regina let out a content sigh. As she finally let go, Regina's nose brushed against her cheek, and she was soon overthrown by the close proximity of their faces.

After a few seconds of estimating the situation, she closed the little distance that was still left between them and brought her lips to Regina's. Regina responded to the kiss by bringing her arms to her neck and pulling her closer, which made Emma's heart jump out of joy. She grinned into the kiss, unable to believe this was actually happening. It all seemed like a dream too good to be true.

Regina broke the kiss and brought a hand to Emma's face, brushing away the leftovers of her now non-existent tears.

"How are you feeling?" Regina asked, her eyes studying her face.

Emma couldn't contain a small laugh. "I'm pretty good. You?"

"Yes, I'm quite happy we finally talked about this," Regina said, showing her that brightest smile that melted her heart.

"Yeah, me too. We should probably thank the kid tomorrow," she thought out loud. Who knew how long it would've taken them to get here without Henry's assistance. Would either of them have even spoken about their feelings? Emma guessed that she might've eventually slipped if their nights as drinking buddies had become a common occurrence.

"Yes, we should," Regina said, still smiling. Emma interlaced their fingers and brought her lips to Regina's once more, feeling happier than she had in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it! Leave a comment, maybe (they make me smile, and it's my birthday on the 6th, so please :D)? Constructive criticism is always appreciated, too, especially since this chapter wasn't beta-read and English (still) isn't my first language.
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @ queenssaviour (don't forget the 'u' there) in case anyone's interested. Have a great weekend! :)


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